Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) has begun enrollment of adult volunteers for a fourth Phase 3 clinical trial of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The National Institutes of Health announced today that J&J’s Janssen Pharmaceuticals COVID-19 vaccine candidate (JNJ-78436725) has begun the Phase 3 trial to evaluate if it can prevent symptomatic COVID-19 after a single dose regimen. Up […]
COVID-19
Canada lining up millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines
Sanofi (NYSE:SNY), GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) and Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) have all agreed to supply Canada with a total of more than 90 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Beginning in 2021, Government of Canada is set to receive up to 72 million doses of an adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccine from Sanofi and GSK, while the country also increased its confirmed […]
BARDA awards $12.9M to Ortho Clinical for coronavirus antigen test
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics announced that it received a nearly $12.9 million award from BARDA to support the development of its COVID-19 antigen test. Raritan, N.J.-based Ortho Clinical Diagnostics and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) are working together under a new contract as part of the government’s ongoing COVID-19 medical countermeasure development efforts, according […]
Patient safety group: Most KN95 masks inferior
Up to 70% of KN95 masks tested by patient-safety organization ECRI do not meet U.S. standards for effectiveness, the group announced today. The findings indicate increased risks of contracting COVID-19 for care providers and patients at hospitals and other healthcare organizations that imported the masks from China, according to the Plymouth, Pa.-based, not-for-profit group. Get the […]
Federal watchdog tells HHS, FEMA and DoD: You can do better on COVID-19
The General Accounting Office (GAO) took three major federal departments to task today on their coronavirus responses and gave some pointed advice for the future. In a wide-ranging report, the GAO told the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) how to better manage coronavirus-related […]
Report: Why is there still an N95 shortage?
The nationwide shortage of N95 respirators needed by healthcare workers and others during the coronavirus pandemic shows no indications of letting up, according to an article in today’s Washington Post. The newspaper cites a lack of inter-industry cooperation on N95 production, the Trump administration’s use of the Defense Production Act to force companies to make […]
MedTech 100 roundup: Stagnant week for industry
Medtech stocks made a run at a new peak over the past week, but ultimately remained mostly unchanged from the previous seven days. MassDevice’s MedTech 100 Index — which includes stocks of the world’s largest medical device companies — finished last week at 89.3 (Sep. 18), marking a 0.3% gain from the 89.03 points registered at […]
COVID-19 molecular diagnostic test shipments surpass 150M in U.S.
Total U.S. shipments of COVID-19 molecular diagnostic tests have reached more than 150 million, based on the latest data from the AdvaMed COVID-19 testing supply registry. Manufacturers shipped nearly 8.5 million tests per week in August, up from 3.7 million weekly in April, the medtech trade group noted. AdvaMed launched the registry July 21 to aid state and federal pandemic […]
CVS to double drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites
CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) announced today that it plans to add more than 2,000 new COVID-19 drive-thru test sites at select locations around the U.S. Currently, CVS manages the largest number of independently run COVID-19 test sites in the country, according to a news release. It expects that the 2,000 new locations will just about double its […]
Quest lets consumers order COVID-19 tests online
Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) today announced that consumers will be able to order one of its COVID-19 diagnostics online and collect the specimen at home, without visiting a doctor’s office. QuestDirect Active Infection is also available by drive-through at more than 500 Walmart Neighborhood Market locations. Results are interpreted by a physician and provided digitally through the […]
U.S. should have enough COVID-19 vaccine by Q3 2021, CDC head tells Senate panel
CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield told a Senate panel today that the federal government should have enough coronavirus vaccine for Americans to resume “regular life” by the third quarter of 2021, according to a report by CNBC. Redfield said vaccinations could begin November or December of 2020 and that it could take 6 to 9 months to […]